Liverpool great Robbie Fowler has delivered his prediction for Newcastle United’s clash with Fulham on Saturday.
The two teams will go head to head at St James’ Park with Rafael Benitez’s side looking to build on their victory over Huddersfield Town last time out. Fowler sees them doing that with a 2-1 win.
“Big game at the bottom this, and Newcastle are a strange team,” he wrote for the Daily Star. “Rafa got manager of month and yet they got battered at home by West Ham.
“But I fear for Fulham – as much as Claudio Ranieri has produced magic in the past – and I think it is going to be a long season for him. Newcastle, with their fans behind them at Christmas, to win.”
OPINION
You have to fancy Newcastle at home against bottom of the table Fulham here no matter what, really. It stands to reason that the Cottagers will pick up a head of steam at some point, but the Magpies would appear to be too well organised for that happen on their own patch here. Benitez has steadied the ship on Tyneside over the last couple of months and the players have been performing well. Fulham aren’t bad going forward, but they’re woeful at the back – and that’s where Salomon Rondon can profit. He has been superb in recent weeks and is an absolute nightmare for defenders. It’s hard to see how Fulham’s leaky defence are going to stop him. The Venezuelan international may not score himself, but it’s likely he will be involved in some capacity as the Magpies come away from St James’ Park with a well deserved three points.